Gateways to World Music series continues with a program featuring music from Azerbaijan performed by visiting musicians Kamila Nabiyeva (Mugham vocals), Miralam Miralamov (Mugham vocals), Rauf Islamov (kamancheh), and Zaki Valiyev (tar), all featured in Mark Morris Dance Group's Layla and Majnun. Music from Iran will be presented by visiting scholar/performer Farzad Amoozegar-Fassaie (setar) and University of Illinois graduate students Parisa Karimi (kamanche) and Ardavan Ardeshirilajimi (tonbak).
This program is supported by Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, School of Music, Illinois Program for Research in the Humanities, Center for Advanced Study, and Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
Performer Bios
Kamila Nabiyeva (Mugham vocals) was born in 1997 in the Khanagah village in the Ismayilli district of Azerbaijan. In 2004, Nabiyeva became a winner at the Children’s Mugham Competition held by the Kainat Group. She studied at the Baku Humanitarian College and in 2014, joined the Azerbaijan State University of Art and Culture. She studies with the famous female mugham performer of Azerbaijan, Gulyanag Mammadova. In 2011, she was awarded at the Mugham Competition held by the Azerbaijan State Television company and the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and frequently appears as a soloist on Azerbaijani National Television. Nabiyeva has successfully introduced Azerbaijani mugham to the audiences in Austria, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Macedonia, Russia, Sweden, Ukraine, the United States, and many other countries.
Miralam Miralamov (Mugham vocals) was born in 1988 in the Shamakhi district of Azerbaijan. He studied in the Asaf Zeynalli Music College in Baku, Azerbaijan and in 2012 joined the Azerbaijan National Conservatory where he is a member of the graduate program. Miralamov studied with the outstanding masters of Azerbaijani mugham, such as Alim Qasimov and Zabit Nabizade. In 2011, he was awarded First Place at the Mugham Competition held by the Azerbaijan State Television Company and the Heydar Aliyev Foundation. In 2013, Miralamov became Winner at the National Mugham Competition and International Mugham Competition and frequently appears as a soloist on Azerbaijan National Television. Miralamov has successfully introduced Azerbaijani mugham to the audiences in Canada, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Norway, Romania, Russia, Sweden, Ukraine, the United States, and many other countries.
Rauf Islamov (kamancheh) was born in Baku, Azerbaijan and studied kemancheh at the Asaf Zeynalli Music College, the Azerbaijan National Conservatory, and received his master’s from the Azerbaijan State Art University. He has toured widely with the Alim Qasimov Ensemble.
Zaki Valiyev (tar) was born in Ganja, Azerbaijan. He studied at the Ganja Music College and received a bachelor’s degree at the Azerbaijan National Conservatory. He is a member of the Alim Qasimov Ensemble, with whom he has toured extensively.
Aida Huseynova (introduction) is lecturer in music in general studies at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. She teaches the courses Music of the Silk Road, East-West Encounters in Music, and Music of Russia as well as music theory. Her research interests include Shostakovich, twentieth-century Azerbaijani music, and multiculturalism. Since 2006, Huseynova has served as a research advisor for the Silk Road Ensemble under the artistic direction of Yo-Yo Ma, and in 2016 she became a research advisor for the Mark Morris Dance Group. She has toured with both ensembles throughout the United States and in Canada, France, and Qatar, giving pre-concert talks and participating in workshops.
Farzad Amoozegar-Fassie
Since his youth Farzad Amoozegar-Fassie has had a special relationship with music, spending formative years in Iran playing tar and setar. After migrating to Canada at age eleven, he continued to study with the intention of developing a career as a professional musician. In his early twenties, Mr. Amoozegar-Fassie decided to move back to Iran, embarking on a professional music career while immersing himself once again in Iranian culture. He has spent the past twelve years studying under Iranian master musicians such as Mohamed Reza Lotfi, Dariush Tala’i, Hooshang Zarif, Masood Shareai, Hossein Alizadah and Ershad Tahmasbie. Mr. Amoozegar-Fassie is currently enrolled as double doctoral student in the Department of Ethnomusicology and Anthropology at UCLA. His ethnomusicology research examines moral codes in Iranian music-making. It analyzes how the nexus of Islamic ideals, mystical practices and traditional values shapes the master musicians’ understanding of artistic experiences and moral judgments of music.
Parisa Karimi
Ms. Parisa Karimi is a PhD student in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department at UIUC. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree from Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, and her master’s degree from Sharif University of technology, Tehran, all in Electrical Engineering. Ms. Karimi is very enthusiastic about traditional Persian music, as well as Classical music, and her true passion lies in music composition. She has been playing Kamancheh for more than 9 years, during which time she won best Kamancheh soloist award in the youth music festival Tehran, 2015.
Ardavan Ardeshirilajami
Mr. Ardavan Ardeshirilajami is a PhD candidate in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at UIUC. Very passionate about Iranian classical music, Mr. Ardeshirilajami has been playing Tar and Tonbak since the age of 12 years old. He studied radif of Mirza Hossein-gholi for Tar under supervision of mastero Dariush Pirniakan. In addition to music, he is interested in cooking, playing soccer, calligraphy, and ice-skating.
